CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Malachi Witherspoon pitched six scoreless and got plenty of offensive support in Oklahoma’s 7-4 victory over Nebraska in the nightcap of the Chapel Hill Regional on Friday.

Witherspoon (4-8) allowed three hits and struck out nine batters.

No. 2 regional seed Oklahoma (36-20) will play regional host North Carolina on Saturday. No. 3 Nebraska (32-28) faces a loser-out game against No. 4 Holy Cross. North Carolina defeated Holy Cross 4-0 earlier Friday.

Oklahoma took a 3-0 lead on Drew Dickerson’s two-run home run in the second and Easton Carmichael’s leadoff home run in the third.

Trey Gambill made it 4-0 with an RBI single in the fifth and Kyle Branch delivered a two-run single in Oklahoma’s three-run seventh inning.

Max Buettenback laced a bases-loaded triple in Nebraska’s four-run eighth inning.

The game started 2 1/2 hours late after a rain delay.

Jackson Brockett (4-4) took the loss.

Dylan Crooks earned his 15th save.

Oklahoma is making its 42nd appearance in the NCAA tournament. Nebraska, which won the Big Ten Tournament as the eighth seed, is making its 19th NCAA appearance.

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Nebraska released the volleyball schedule for the 2025 season earlier this week. The Huskers finished the 2024 season with a 33-3 record. They also won the Big Ten title with a 19-1 conference mark.

They entered the NCAA Tournament as the third overall seed, making it all the way to the semifinals before falling to eventual national champion Penn State.

One of the key storylines for this season will be new coach Dani Busboom Kelly. She took over in January 2025, following the retirement of legendary coach John Cook. Now, Nebraska volleyball will begin a new era.

The Huskers kick off the season on Friday, Aug. 22, when they host the Pitt Panthers at Pinnacle Bank Arena as part of the AVCA First Serve Showcase. They start Big Ten play against the Michigan Wolverines on Wednesday, Sep. 24, in Lincoln, Nebraska. They close the 2025 season on Nov. 29 at home against Ohio State.

The program looks poised for another major run in 2025, but will have to try to replace All-Americans Lexi Rodriguez and Merritt Beason. Things will look a bit different on the sidelines without Cook, but the program should be in good hands with a new head coach, and most of last season’s starters are returning.

Find the entire schedule below.

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